Liaison Newsletter > LIAISON Vol. 2, No. 3, May 1998 - Articles

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The Human Rights of Children
by Tara Collins

Almost fifty years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted with unanimous support from all the member states of the United Nations. It heralded a breakthrough in international law, and paved the way for further legislation on both national and international human rights.

Just over ten years later, on November 20, 1959, the General Assembly affirmed the rights of a specific social group whom the authors of the Declaration had felt were worthy of "special care and assistance", and adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child. After thirty years of discussion and debate over the final text for a legally-binding Convention, the General Assembly unanimously adopted on November 20, 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

As the most comprehensive international legal framework for children, the Convention on the Rights of the Child combines civil, social, economic, political and cultural rights. It affirms the child as a person with specific rights, and an individual capable of participating in society, and in his or her own development. It outlines all the basic human rights to which all children are entitled, namely:

To date, 191 states have ratified the Convention, making it the most successful human rights treaty ever. In ratifying the Convention, state parties agree to a number of obligations. First of all, they agree to submit periodic reports to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Secondly, they agree to promote awareness and understanding of the Convention by "appropriate and active means, to children and adults alike." Thirdly, they agree to provide health care and social security that will ensure an adequate standard of living for children.

The Convention established the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to encourage implementation and to monitor the Convention. It has helped promote awareness about the rights of the child, and mobilizes support for countries trying to overcome obstacles that will keep them in line with the articles of the convention. At the same time, the publicity surrounding the Committee’s studies and reports put pressure on governments that fail to meet their obligations.

Much still needs to be done to realize the promises the Convention has made to the children of the world. Throughout developed and developing countries children suffer from poverty, homelessness, abuse, neglect, preventable diseases, unequal access to education, and justice systems that do not recognise their special needs. Children of minority groups are often particularly affected by these difficulties.

Governments have a primary responsibility to the Convention, but communities, families and individuals have an equally important role to play. In the words of Norway’s Ombudsman for Children: "Laws, national and international, are words on paper. They may codify attitudes, but the real results depend upon how they are implemented and what is done to follow up and reach the ideals." As detailed in the UN Charter, "(w)e the peoples" make up the United Nations; so ultimately it is up to all of us, in our communities, regions, and countries, to ensure that children’s rights become a reality.

Tara Collins is Youth Director of UNA-Canada and Research Coordinator of the Canadian Coalition of the Rights of Children